A COVID-19 outbreak would disproportionately affect women and girls, including their education, food security and nutrition, health, livelihoods, and protection. They also face a greater risk of violence due to increased isolation in their homes given restrictions on movement outside homes and the tensions that increase in families.

During lockdown period (March – May 2020), Timorese women are at much greater risk of domestic violence than before as they are confined in an environment where the stress level is high.

Participating in economic activities allows women to make positive changes in their own lives and those of their families.  Research has been shown that 75-85% of vendors in municipal and sub-municipal marketplaces in Timor-Leste are women. 

The lockdown situation which bans public transport movement has impacted negatively on rural women’s ability to gain income to support their family. Difficulties in accessing markets has impacted on women’s livelihood activities. The stress associated with an inability to generate family income has led to an increase in cases of gender-based violence.

Moreover, In Timor-Leste, women are often the primary caregivers in the family which has placed them at high risk of infection. Women’s unpaid workloads may increase with the need to care for sick family members and children at home due to school closures. In addition, Timorese women need to ensure family members have enough food and access to sufficient water and soap for maintaining regular hand washing to prevent covid-19.

So, what is Alola doing to help women to face this situation?

The Lockdown situation for COVID-19 has worsened the food security situation across the country, especially for vulnerable people. People are in need of humanitarian assistance and they do not have enough water for more frequent preventative hand washing.

At this stage, Fundasaun Alola and others women’s organization are continuing to work to support communities in providing humanitarian assistance, including distribution of hand washing equipment, educating the community on Covid prevention and supporting communities with facilities for hand washing.

From March 28, the Fundasaun Alola also began implementing social distancing. Staff began to work from home, and to work in the office on a rotational roster to decrease density including limiting domestic travel.  The ALOLA management team worked hard to develop new plans to adapt to the situation and to support its beneficiaries during the COVID pandemic. Therefore starting from April 28th, Fundasaun Alola initiated an activity of COVID-19 prevention at community level out in few municipalities by educating people on prevention and the spread of the Covid.

Due to food insecurity caused by lockdown Alola has been providing some humanitarian assistance in the form of basic needs to its target of vulnerable groups out in 13 municipalities. Besides that, Alola through its Maternal and Child Health and Education programs has also distributed hand washing equipment including soap, buckets, water tanks and face masks for approximately 5000 beneficiaries out in the rural areas. 

In addition to community education on prevention, we have also been teaching our target communities on how to establish a hand washing facility called Tippy tap using community resources available in their area.

Alola was contracted by the Australian Embassy to produce and distribute more than 250.000 face masks for students at primary schools across the country. This is great news because it will create employment and generate incomes for a large number of women.

The motto of our organization is “Strong Women, Strong Nation.” We believe that by continuing to invest in women’s education and resourcefulness, as we do every day in each of our programs, Timor-Leste will beat Covid-19 and look ahead to a bright future of health and equality for all.